Strengthening Rural Communities – Prepare & Recover

The Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Prepare & Recover program supports communities in remote, rural and regional communities across Australia to implement initiatives that prevent and prepare for future climate related impacts, or recover from existing disasters in the medium to long-term timeframe, generally one to ten years after the disaster.

Grants up to $25,000 are available for a broad range of initiatives. Priority will be given to projects that:

  • Respond to a specific climate impact or event, either historic or likely to occur in the future;
  • Focus on community-led resilience building in recovery or preparedness to strengthen the capacity and capability of local people and systems, especially to manage the impact of future disasters, through: inclusion; networks; communication; information sharing; self-organising systems; local decision making; or resourcing, tools and support.
  • Are from local community groups and not-for-profits or organisations that do not have DGR status.

FRRR also wants to support projects that:

  • Invest in outback, remote and less-resourced communities where they may be more highly impacted by disasters;
  • Support First Nations-led initiatives that strengthen culture, Country, economic participation and reconciliation;
  • Support communities to implement generational transition; and
  • Build capacity and resourcing for a just and equitable energy transition.

If you want to discuss a project to support disaster preparedness, resilience or recovery, please call us on 1800 170 020.

NOTE: There are two streams of funding available within the Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) program: Small and Vital and Prepare and Recover. Organisations may submit their application in one of these streams per SRC grant round, and any other applications in this round will be considered ineligible.

If your project does not relate to a Prepare & Recover project, please complete an SRC Small & Vital application.

Future rounds

Round 25
Opens:
28 March 2025
Closes: 24 June 2025
Funding announced
by late August 2025

Round 24 is now open

Applications close 5pm VIC time (AEDT) 27 March 2025

Funding announced by early June 2025

Explore other streams in the Strengthening Rural Communities program:

How to apply for SRC Prepare & Recover

Please read the information on each of the three tabs below to make sure this is the right grant for your project.

If you want to explore other grant options, please go to Find Funding Now.


I have a question, who can I talk to?

Our state-based Grants Officers are your go-to people for any program related queries for the SRC program.

  • QLD / NT / WA: Amanda Gunders
  • NSW / ACT: Julia Kendall
  • VIC / TAS / SA: Vivienne McCrory

Ph: 1800 170 020 or Email: info@frrr.org.au

Confirm you are eligible to apply for this grant

To make sure this is the right grant for your community, please read the grant information detailed in the Program Guidelines below carefully. Click on each headline to reveal the detail. If you need to share this information with others, you can download the guidelines below.

Gather information to support your grant application

Please read the information below to support the planning and preparation of your project. It also sets out what you MUST include for your project to be considered. There are plenty of helpful resources to support you along the way.

Please contact FRRR if you have any questions about the following information.

Your grant application MUST include:

Need some more help?

We have a large selection of resources on our Grantseeker Resources page to help you along the way.

Submit your grant application via the Grants Gateway

Applications close 5pm VIC time (AEDT), 27 March 2025.

Please contact FRRR if you have questions about any aspect of the Grants Gateway online application form.

Helpful resources:

It is time to submit your application. If it is helpful, you can download a sample copy of the application form.

Please read the instructions on how to use the Grants Gateway How-to Guide and have your questions answered with our Grants Gateway FAQs.

Before you submit your application via the online Grants Gateway, please ensure you have:

  • confirmed you are eligible to apply for this grant
  • provided clear information about your project
  • checked that you are an eligible legal entity
  • provided the financial information required
  • created a budget for the project
  • gathered supporting materials
  • spoken to an FRRR contact person where you were unsure of any requirement
  • gathered community support for the project
  • checked the information you are providing to make sure it is clear and relevant to the project

If you have significant issues accessing a stable internet connection, please contact our team to discuss an alternative way of applying:
Ph: 1800 170 020 or Email: info@frrr.org.au

“This inaugural grant success holds deep significance for our remote rural community. While the funding is specifically for materials for the construction of retaining walls and raised garden beds, these seemingly simple structures are vital foundation stones for our broader community garden vision.

In a remote area with a small population base, traditional fundraising presents significant challenges, which is why this first grant breakthrough means so much to everyone involved.”

Martin Phillips, Coordinator – Blinman Men’s Shed Inc, SRC R23

Inspiration – Past projects

Explore some of the projects we’ve previously funded to see how other organisations have helped their community thrive.

Group of people gathered around two pool tables.

New life for the Katanning Pool Hall supports youth community

Following a bushfire and with COVID hampering rebuilding, the Katanning Pool Hall used a $10,000 SRC grant to create a new food preparation and serving area at the local pool hall. These new catering facilities increased the organisation’s capacity to host a youth program designed to engage their younger residents and keep them connected and supported.

Three people crouched down on the floor practicing CPR on red dummies.

Disaster preparedness workshops in Far North Queensland

The Tablelands Regional Council was awarded a $25,000 grant through FRRR’s SRC program to run a series of free workshops across the shire. Presented in partnership with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, these programs were designed to better prepare residents before and during disasters and build resilience for the recovery process. Seven different workshops were delivered, including First Aid training.

A catering trailer with the side window opened.

Community hub takes on disaster response in SA

Since the 2019 bushfires, SYP Community Hub has been heavily involved in coordinating disaster recovery services. This included purchasing a custom-built trailer using a $24,950 SRC grant. During emergencies, the trailer will enable deployment of supplies such as food, water and basic first aid. It will also assist in distributing supplies to volunteers and act as a rest station during incident response. 

Proudly supported by

This program is collaboratively and generously supported by the following donors:

  • ALS Limited
  • AMP Foundation
  • ANZ
  • Arthur Laundy
  • Aurora Energy
  • Bowness Family Foundation
  • Brian and Margaret Baker Foundation
  • Center for Disaster Philanthropy
  • Charter Hall
  • Chefs on the Run
  • Desmond Prentice Charitable Trust
  • Erdi Foundation
  • Fire Fight Australia Fund
  • Frasers Property Foundation
  • Friends of FRRR
  • Gilbert + Tobin
  • GlobalGiving
  • Graf Family Foundation
  • IKEA Australia
  • Jeunesse Kids Foundation
  • Kapikarnpi Community Fund
  • Macdoch Foundation
  • Metamorphic Foundation (APS)
  • Newcrest Sustainability Fund
  • News Corp Australia
  • Paul Ramsay Foundation
  • Pepper Australia
  • PNI Foundation
  • Portland House Foundation
  • Redbubble Ltd
  • Sally White OAM
  • Suncorp
  • Tabcorp Holdings Ltd
  • Telstra Foundation
  • The Calvert-Jones Foundation
  • The Humphries Family Fund (APS)
  • The Pratt Foundation
  • The Unsworth Foundation
  • Vicinity Centres
  • The Waislitz Family Foundation, in partnership with Australian Community Media
  • Westpac Group
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